(rated R)
The movie opens minus any walking-on-water miracles. Instead we are thrust into the final and brutal twelve hours of Jesus (Jim Caviezel)’s life, before he is crucified. And like the Bible it is the non-believers that Jesus is the Son of God, the giver of eternal life, who choose to sentence him. While this Mel Gibson directed movie is two hours of monotonous punishment, unlike his “Braveheart” with its Scotish-sing-songy, “blood and gore give me some more” feelings, this movie brings all those Catholic-school-brainwashed-drilled-in-memories to the surface. Any strict Catholic won’t hear anything here that they don’t already know, even capable of reciting the lines. But its amazement comes from seeing the words come to life. This is no “Ben Hur” or “Moses” with cardboard 1950 sets. This is Mel Gibson’s angry and violent martyred interpretation – imposing his own personal issues of Hollywood experiences, through the magical tortured eyes of Caviezel, whose expressions rival his performance delivered in “The Count of Monte Cristo”. It’s a predictable movie for those with a religious background of confession, communion and stations of the cross, but for those seeing the movie out of morbid curiosity and media hype, you’ll walk out saying it was nothing but violence. Which of course it is. Violence plus brilliant, rolled into one long bloodbath. And certainly an attention getter. (Aramaic and Latin with American sub-titles).
